


Contained In Water

by schnitzelbutterfingers



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:27:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27354202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/schnitzelbutterfingers/pseuds/schnitzelbutterfingers
Summary: With two weeks left to the unfortunate fate of Edenbrook Hospital, Abby wants a much-needed break, and he has just the right idea.
Relationships: Ethan Ramsey/Main Character (Open Heart)
Kudos: 5





	Contained In Water

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: hiya there! pb did us dirty and skipped a whole bunch of months before edenbrook’s last day, and we have no idea how we spent out time with our LIs! this one-shot is placed a couple of weeks before the hospital’s final day where ethan and abby go somewhere to take a break. i might post chapter three of ‘the forgotten one’ later :) lousie is not a bad bad person who tried to kill my mc in this fanfic. as always, forgive me if there are any spelling mistakes or grammar errors. enjoy!!
> 
> A/N 2: let’s just all pretend that edenbrook is a real hospital and that it’s first place in the hospital honor roll :)
> 
> A/N 3: i reaaallly wanted to do a halloween fic, but my dumb brain came up with this lol

Two more weeks. Fourteen more days. 336 more hours. 20,160 minutes. 

She didn’t think of the precious seconds because each one is passing by so quickly. 

It was midnight, and Abby closed her eyes and threw her head back, sitting in the snug lounge in the prestigious and grand diagnostics office. Her head is spinning, her mind is whirling, as she realized that in two weeks, she will not be sitting in this chair, working in this room, ever again. Solely thinking about it made her tremble. Freeze. Shake.

The young resident was rocking gently from side to side, something she always does when anxiety and depression gets the best of her. as she thought of the numerous things and people she had to leave. The hallways. The supply closets. The patient rooms. The whole hospital. Her friends. Her seniors. Her colleagues. That one child patient who attempted to take off her IV because she claimed it was poison.

Abigail Angel Chacko, the sister of the famous Seb Chacko, was accepted to Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, John Hopkins Hospital, and many other prestigious hospitals in the country before her beginning of her internship. But her mindset was only on one hospital.

Edenbrook.

The top hospital in the United States. Ranked number one in many recognized specialties. But most importantly, the hospital where her role model worked at.

How was she going to leave Ethan, of all people? The one who flipped her world upside-down? The one who instructed her to never give up? The one who made her heart skip multiple beats? What was she going to do? She can’t leave him. She can’t. 

How can she escape all those memories they recalled? The waiting room, where they initially met. The vending machine, where she gave him a chocolate bar. The NICU, where they invested their time overnight to look after Dolores’s newborn son. The room in the new wing, where Naveen was secretly being treated. The supply closet, where they hid together to conceal themselves from Dr. Wen. The lab, where he said that fighting the inevitable was their job description. 

The cafeteria. The contamination room. This very diagnostics room. The-

Suddenly, she couldn’t breathe. Abby felt like suffocating, as if the flame inside her body grew, and its smoke was overtaking her lungs. The junior doctor frantically searched for her inhaler in her bag, but moving got harder and harder when a voice ceased her from doing anything else. A familiar voice.

“Rookie!” Ethan.

Ethan saw his broken resident through the glass windows of the diagnostics room, her tense body thrown onto her chair, her collarbone peeking on top of her baby blue bodycon. It was only when she started hyperventilating that the elder doctor rushed through the automatic doors, dread boiling his blood. He quickly rummaged through her bag to find her inhaler, with which he set it on her mouth. 

“Deep breaths, Abby. Deep breaths,” Ethan started instructing her.

She did what he said, finding comfort in him rubbing her back. Abby’s breathing finally calmed down, and removing the inhaler from her mouth. There was a moment of profound silence before Ethan decided to break it. 

“Rookie, is everything alright? What were you thinking about now?” Ethan sounded concerned.

She felt his warm hands wiping her rosy cheeks. Ab initio the young doctor was confused, but then, when he saw his fingers covered in small droplets of water, she realized that she was crying. Knowing that made pain flow through her veins twice the incredible speed as before, tears falling from her eyes faster. Abby glanced at him, who has worry painted all over his face. She looked elsewhere, anywhere, other than his eyes.

Ethan hates it when he sees his Rookie cry. Even if the pink mist only clouds her eyes, it makes his heart ache.

Ethan wrapped her tighter around his arms, hoping his heat and comfort can relieve her pain. 

Abby decides to break the quietness clouding their senses. “It’s the hospital, okay? We only have two weeks left before Edenbrook closes its doors. I’m leaving everyone I love and care about. I’m leaving you. And I don’t wanna leave you.” Her voice broke at the end of that last statement.

Ethan’s breath hitched and his own tears began to distort his vision, his eyes turning light pink and his heart halfway up his throat. He tries to swallow the hard lump in his throat. “Do you think I’m going to give up on us so easily?” he interrogated her. “We’ll find a way. We always do.” 

The consolation in his gentle voice made her relax her body against him, relief clouding Abby’s senses. She had always pictured them working together, sneaking quick kisses, and hand-holding underneath the sleek, wooden table during a team meeting. 

Instantly, Ethan had an idea, something they both require. A break. 

But to where? he pondered. Suddenly, he had a scheme.

“...Do you want to get away from here for a while?” he asked hesitantly.

Abby chuckled, which was music to his ears. “You mean running away and buying a new house for us?”

He snickered. “I didn’t mean it like that!”

They both chortled, which naturally turned into a comfortable silence.

It had been a long time since she heard Ethan genuinely laugh. After realizing that the hospital will close, which was during the winter after the gala, she only saw Ethan smile when she was around him. Otherwise, his grins were forced and his chuckles were sarcastic. She only hoped that he would see him smile in the future. Her thoughts were disturbed by Ethan.

“So, what do you think, Rookie? Want to get out of here tomorrow?” Ethan asked softly.

Abby replied in the same tone, with a faint smile gracing her lips. “Sure.”

________________________________________________________________

The next day, at 4 pm sharp, Abby stepped outside, finding Ethan’s luxurious Mercedes-Benz. Abby sported a flowy, flowery corset top with a pair of jeans skirt, while Ethan wore a blue and white striped T-shirt and a pair of white pants.

Ethan gazed longingly, his heart fluttering once he set his eyes on her. He wanted nothing more than to postpone this trip and to take her to his apartment. Hands on each other, skin to skin.

A forty-minute trip in his car landed both of them on the shore of Concord River. 

Concord River was adorned with trees around it, the water mirroring the green leaves and the cloudy sky. It was secluded. It was attractive. It was everything they needed. 

Abby carefully spread a red and white plaid blanket onto the perfectly trimmed grass. Lying down on it, she closed her eyes enjoyed the wind tickling her face, until she felt a warm hand on her forehead. Ethan. He smiled at her, eyes filled with adoration.

“How are you feeling now, Rookie?” he asked.

Abby sent him a lopsided grin and gently took a deep breath through her nose, taking in the scent of the grass and dirt around her. “... I think I’m alright. I feel at peace.”

The former attending sat down beside her, finally in relief at her contentment. He hasn’t seen her pleasant smile a lot ever since the news of Edenbrook’s closing. She smiles for her patients and her friends, but he can see right through her as if she was made of clear plastic. He knew. He always knew.

Regarding her now, smiling, refreshed, tranquilized, put him at ease. His thoughts were interrupted by Abby, sitting back up, her hair a little messed up from lying down. He doesn’t like this word, but he couldn’t help but admit it. She looked adorable.

Abby got back up and stretched her achy back, hearing a small crack and wincing from the after pain. Ethan glanced at her from hearing the sound, and immediately scooched back behind Abby. Confusion overtook her facial expressions.

“...Ethan? Is everything alright?”

Her words died from the tip of her tongue as she felt his rough, warm hands pressing steady, gentle pressure to her shoulder blades and her back. She closed her eyes at the pleasurable sensation and leaned back, where her head met his shoulder. 

Ethan smirked at her reaction, deliberately pressing more and more as he heard a small moan slip from her mouth. 

“That feels.. so good,” she said, and felt his soft lips press between the crook of her neck and shoulder.

“Of course it does. I’m practically good at everything,” She could hear the smirk in her voice.

“Except for pancakes.”

“How did you-”

Abby sported a smug smile on her face. That’s when it clicked for the attending. 

Dad...

“Of course he told you that,” he muttered under his breath.

She laughed merrily. That laugh. That same damn laugh that made his stomach swoop with excitement.

Ethan’s hands left her shoulder, and a noise of protest flied out of her mouth until she felt his arms wrap around her waist, pulling Abby close to him. She made a satisfied sigh as his nose nuzzled in her dark brown, way hair.

She decided to switch the topic. “Have you been to this river many times before, or did you just stumble upon it?”

“Oh, so now I turned into Dora the Explorer?” she could hear the humor in his voice. The voice he only uses for her.

“If you’re Dora, then I’m Buji- wait, how do you know Dora?” 

He could hear the teasing in her voice. “I was a child once a long time ago, Rookie.”

“But you watched Dor-”

“Oh, for goodness sake, change the topic already!”

They both had goofy smiles on their lips, forgetting all the unease and the trouble that were waiting for them at Boston left them, genuine content in their hearts. Their bodies felt lighter, freer. 

Abby decided to speak again. “Anyways, I was wondering if you’ve been here before.”

Instantaneously, Ethan went silent. The quietness was almost deafening, eating all of the seconds out. The young doctor broke it again, uncomfortable by what was happening.

“I’m sorry. I can see this place holds some sort of resemblance for you. I won’t-”

Ethan cut her off. “It’s alright. I need to tell this to someone instead of cooping it up in my body.”

Abby squeezed his hand that was wrapped around her, a silent encouragement for him to continue. The former attending took a deep breath. 

“When I was eleven years old, Dad and Mom took me to this river for the first time. We were having a picnic here. I remember us going to this old tree, and we carved the word ‘family’, with an arrow going through a heart.”

His emotions overtook him and his voice started to waver. “That was the last time I’ve ever been here. The following week, she ran away from of us,, without a note.”

Abby felt her own throat tighten at his words. She knew how it felt. Her father always hated their own family, never attending to them. He ran away, and the following week, he came back with belts, whipping sticks, knives, and a whole bunch of his so-called ‘friends’. They got hit and hit every single day, Abby being affected the most whenever she tried to stop them. 

No parent should ever leave their child, no matter what happens, no matter how challenging it gets. It’s worth it, family life. It’s really worth it.

Focusing back to his feelings, Abby adjusted her properly position in his arms turning fully forward to him. She twisted her arms around his neck. His eyes aren’t shadowed with tears, but she could see the storm brewing in those ocean waters.

“I’ll never understand how it feels to be motherless. No one should feel that kind of pain. Especially you.”

Ethan looked back at her, expecting to see pity, just like everyone looked at him and his father. instead, he only saw, care understanding, compassion.

He kissed her soft lips in gentle motion, pulling back way too soon, not satisfying his needs.

“Thank you, Abigail.”

His voice was gentle, full of adoration and gratefulness. It was rare to her anyone uttering her full name, but with him, she didn’t mind.

“Anytime, Ethan.”

They stayed like this for a while, until Abby heard the gentle swooshes of the water calling her name. Instantaneously, she had an idea formed in her head. 

“I don’t know about you, Ethan, but I wanna be in the water.”

Before he could say anything, she pulled away from his loving arms, took her sandals off and started to move towards crystal clear water. he felt his eyes burning a question mark behind her, fire marking her back. When she walked to the water, her ankles already inside the liquid, she heard a shuffling sound behind her. She turned around to see Ethan, rolling up his pants to his knee and taking his shoes and socks off.

“Why not?” he asked with a soft smile.

He walked to wear Abby was standing. Blue met dark brown. Mild amusement was swimming in her eyes, before she resumed her walking forward. The young resident looked back at him, who was staring gravely at her. Then, she took a dive. 

Under the water, the dirt made the base of the ground. Some tree branches are sticking from the base here and there, but she couldn’t care less. The water was absorbing every part of her skin, her murky brown hair standing out more.

After the need of oxygen had been dire, Abby went back up to the surface, throwing her head back, her hair flying up in the air.

Ethan was observing her every move. Her throwing of her head, where her hair met her back. Her clothes sticking perfectly to her every graceful curve, making it stand out more. Her skin is slick, shining with every motion. The second-year resident looked back at him, eyes pleading longingly. 

She looked like a goddess. 

Converying the hint, he moved forward to the water, until the clear liquid was locking his waist. He went underwater, just like she did. Even if the water is refreshing, he could still feel Abby’s burning gaze behind his back. He went back up to the surface.

Abby started roaming her eyes all around his body, enjoying the way his T-shirt clutched to his body, making his abs look more prominent. She forcefully moved her eyes up to his collarbone and neck, and finally to his lips. The young resident can feel Ethan doing the same thing. A shiver ran through her body, either from the cool water or from the way Ethan is gazing eagerly at her.

None of them knew who made the first move, but they next thing they knew, their lips were moving together, slowly, but deeply. The kiss gained more passion, their tounges met, a fight for dominance.Ethan broke the chaste kiss to trail them down from her neck to her collarbone. All the while, Abby was gasping for more. 

She needed more, wanted more. She pressed her hips to his, and he groaned, a sound that she has come to like.

Ethan’s lips were back on hers hungrily, until they felt the lack of oxygen. He slowly pulled away, taking deep breaths of air, enjoying the way Abby looked flustered, her cheeks a light pink, flushed down to her neck. Abby broke the peaceful quiet.

“...Wow.”

Ethan smiled at the way she said it, emphasizing her word usage. 

“Feel any better?”

“Ethan, I feel perfect. Thank you.”

Ethan looked back at her with a soft smile adorning his perfect, tender lips. He picked her up, ravishing the feeling of her arms locking around his neck, her legs automatically wrapping around his torso. He transferred them both back to the land and laid her on the blanket. The attending lied back beside her, winding her arms around her, making her shiver. A narrow beam of sunlight assailed them, ready to hide from the sky for the night.

Abby then asked him a question.

“Even if the hospital closes, you’re not gonna give up on us, right?”

His mind started running through all the fond memories they shared. Ethan had been so close to losing her once; he couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her once the hospital closes. As the glorious sunset gave off her bold and deep color, usurping the baby azure sky, he gave her a one word answer.

“Never.”


End file.
